Hindenburg and Hitler

I would like to explain the information about the appointment of Adolf Hitler to be chancellor of Germany. It was brought about through German Army intrigues of general Kurt von Schleifer, who became the chancellor of Germany for 57 days, on December 2 1932 and then resigned on January 28, 1933, after failing to obtain dictatorial powers on the basis of the Article 48 of the Constitution of the Weimar Republic. That left Adolf Hitler as the only choice for nomination, as chancellor of Germany, in a state of near anarchy, almost resembling Irak of today.

On Jan 30, 1933 president Hindenburg agreed to nominate Hitler as chancellor, as a result of the actions of general Kurt von Schleifer, which I did not describe in my article published in the April 2007 issue of the Culure Wars “What I Learned in Sachsenhausen.”

The president of Germany, Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Benekendorf und von Hindenburg, was born in 1847 in the capital of the Grand Douchy of Posen, today, Poznań, in Poland. He died in August 1934 at the age of 87, after he was driven to appoint Hitler as chancellor. This happened after Hindenburg’s protracted resistance against appointing Hitler and after a period of instability and direct rule by the aging president, who made his carrier late in life.

Retired from the service in 1913 Hindenburg was recalled at the outbreak of World War One in August of 1914, when German hostilities against Russia started and were motivated with the high hopes of creating a huge German colonial empire on the territory of Russia. Hindenburg won the battle of Tannenberg in 1914 at the age of sixty six and then in 1916 he became Germany’s supreme commander.

The Battle of Tannenberg in 1914 between August 17 and September 2, was supposed to be the decisive engagement between the Russian and the German Empire, as planed by the Schlieffen Plan, which assumed quick victory in France and focused on the Russian front, to make Russia into a part of a German colonial empire. Besides a shortage of soldiers, there were such difficulties as the different gauge of Russian railroad tracks, which resulted in such a situation, that most of the German armies could be moved quickly only as far as the German-Russian border.

After the defeat of Germany, Hindenburg retired again in 1919, and then he was elected president of Germany in 1925. He felt obligated to run in 1932 for reelection for seven year term, reluctantly agreeing to proclaim himself a regent, only under the condition of restoring the former Kaiser Wilhelm II Hohenzollern. On February 25, 1932, Hitler, an Austrian citizen managed to get German citizenship by a trick in order to run against Hindenburg.

Hindenburg at age of 84, in poor health, was the only candidate that could defeat Adolf Hitler, which he managed to do in a runoff on April 10 (Hindenburg 53% and Hitler 36.8% of votes). Later during almost Bagdad-like chaos President Hindenburg not only appointed Hitler as a chancellor, but also gave him special powers by signing the Enabling Act of 1933.

After president Hindenburg died on August 2, 1934, Hitler conducted, on Aug 19, 1934, a plebiscite which he won with a majority of 88%. Then Hitler declared the office of president vacant and appointed himself the Head of State or “der Huerer.”

In elections of 1929 the Nazis won 800,000 votes and in September 1930 Nazi Party won 6.4 milion votes while Socialists won 8.4 million votes. In May 1932, Hindenburgd asked Hans von Papen to form a government, however on August 13 Hitler refused to serve as a vice- chancellor under Pappen, who then resigned on November 17 1932. In 1933 Hitler
became a chancellor thanks to the conspiratorial activities of general Kurt von Schleicher as silent partner of Hitler. General Wilhelm Groener became an instrument of Schleicher who had befriended Oskar Hindenburg, the son of the president.

In January 1928, Hindenburg made general Groener a defense minister as a result of the scheming general Schleicher, acting as a political power in the German Army. Schleicher managed to get rid of the 2nd in command of German Army, general Werner von Blomberg and got president Hindenburg to appoint Heinrich Bruning as a chancellor on march 28, 1930.

Article 48 of the Constitution of the Weimar Republic gives dictatorial power to the chancellor, if president agrees with the chancellor, that Germany is in crisis. Thus Brunnig was appointed dictator with the approval of Hindenburg. Chaos continued, and on Oct 10, 1931 Hitler was received by Hindenburg, thanks to Schleicher, as a candidate to replace Brunning.

Brunning tried to restore monarchy after Hindenburg would die, however general Schleicher promoted young crown prince and did not want former Kaiser Wilhelm Hohenzollern. As I noted before on February 25, 1932, Hitler became German citizen by a trick so he could run against Hindenburg on March 13, 1932. There were four candidates. Hindenburg won 49.6% to Hitler’s 30,1%. In a runoff on April 10, Hindenburg won 53% and Hitler 36.8% of the votes.

General Schleicher used Nazis to get rid of Chancellor Brunning and the defense minister general Groener, in order to form a new government, by a plot supported by Hitler. On May 10, 1932, parliament approved Groener’s resignation, as demanded by general Schleicher. On May 19, 1932 Nazi Party got a message including Schleicher’s list of new cabinet ministers, ready for a transition period. On June 1, 1932 Frantz von Pappen became chancellor, with general Schleicher as the minister of defense.

Nazis fought communists in the street riots resembling chaos in today’s Bagdad – martial law was declared and on June 9, 1932, von Pappen met Hitler. On July 31 Nazi election victory gave them 230 seats, to social democrats 133 seats, and communists 98 seats, plus many small parties. Hitler held talks with general Schleicher and with Chancellor von Papen with an ultimatum that either Hitler will be the chancellor, or there would be deepening chaos in Germany.

Hiler perceived as a former corporal, was received by president Hindenburg only in a standing conversation and was given a chance to form of a new cabinet, but without dictatorial powers. On November 19, 1932 Chancellor von Pappen resigned and could not form a new government, because Hitler refused to serve as a vice chancellor. General Schleicher became defense minister still conspiring with Hitler.

After the resignation of von Pappen, president Hindenburg made general Schleicher the chancellor under a threat of a civil war. Thus, on December 2, 1932 Kurt von Schleicher became chancellor for 57 days. On January 23, 1933 Chancellor Schleicher unsuccessfully asked under Article 48 for dictatorial powers and resigned Jan 28 1933 having been unable to govern midst increasing street violence causing many hundreds of casualities.

Thus on January 30, 1933, Hindenburg agreed for Hitler to be Chancellor of Germany.
On August 2, 1934 president Hindenburg died. On August 19, 1934, Hitler conducted a plebiscite in which he won 88% approval be the president of Germany. Hitler however did not use the title of president, but rather a “Fuerer” as the new leader of Nazi Germany. Majority of voting Germans was at that time terrified by the political strength of the communists movement, led by Jews. The Jews were perceived as being instrumental in bringing about German defeat in World War One.

As a political prisoner in Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin I had heard a number of times, from German inmates, that Hitler’s illegitimate grandfather was a Jew and that Hitler’s farther, Alois Schickelgruber, was called “a Jewish bastard.”